Mutant Magics
by Xakko
Summary: Colossus and Shadowcat find themselves trapped in another world. They avail themselves of Chicago's only practicing wizard to find Magik and their way home. For what sinister purpose have they been diverted? Set before Turn Coat.
1. Chapter 1

The Dresden Files is copyright Jim Butcher. This story is licensed under the Creative Commons as derivative, noncommercial fiction. The X-men are copyright Marvel Comics.

Chapter One

In all my years as a licensed investigator - I'm in the book, the only entry under "Wizards" - I've seen a lot of weird come through the door to my office. Hell's bells, I've been hired by Mab, Faerie Queen of Air and Darkness herself. But this time just may have taken the cake - the biscuit at the very least, and possibly the entire right side of the menu at the Cheesecake Factory.

"Yeah, I can meet him tonight," I spoke into the phone, forcing my voice into a casual register. "Thanks for the referral, Elaine." Elaine Mallory was my first love, my first everything. I'd thought she was dead, but those reports were, as Twain said, greatly exaggerated. She had popped back into my life several years ago, having been saved by, and working for, the Summer Court of the Sidhe, and afterwards had followed my example as a private investigator. Together, we'd helped found the Paranet, a loose collection of minor talents in the mystical arts.

Elaine had called me, saying one of the Paranet members worked for Grayson Bonham, a West Coast producer-type who was going to be in Chicago and was in need of some assistance that apparently only I could provide. I was to meet him at the United Center, where the 'Hawks would be playing the Los Angeles Kings.

There was a knock at the door, and it opened slowly to reveal two refugees from a costume party. "Listen Elaine, I have to go... thanks again."

The girl was maybe five and a half feet tall, maybe early twenties, with curly brown hair and a lean, athletic body. Her nose was somewhat longer than would be generally considered attractive, but it fit her face well, and would have given her somewhat of an impish cast if not for the frown currently in place. Her large, brown eyes were narrowed with skepticism. It isn't that I'm not used to that particular look, most of my prospective clients are suspicious at best. But most clients didn't show up to the office wearing yellow and black spandex hidden clumsily under an unlicensed Chicago Cubs windbreaker, the kind they sell cheap at street side touristy stands. She crossed her arms in defiance.

"Go ahead, crack the joke, smartass," she snarled. "It's nothing I won't have heard in the last twenty five blocks getting here, and if it'll get that damn smirk off your face, I can take it."

"Katya," her companion said reprovingly, He stood at least a foot taller than his companion, only a couple inches shy of my own considerable height. I was willing to bet he and I could trade near-concussion stories about hitting our heads into doorframes, lintels and low basement ceilings. He also had dark hair, like me, but that was where our similarities ended. I'm what can be charitably called "lanky"; this guy looked like a body builder. Muscles on top of muscles, cut, ripped and shredded to the point where the red and yellow spandex he wore didn't look half as stupid as it would on normal folks like me. The guy had thews, and mighty ones at that. No, I wasn't envious. Not at all. He turned to me, and held out his hand, "Mr. Dresden, my name is Peter Rasputin, and this is-"

"Kitty Pryde, yeah, I figured," I finished for him. I'm used to people using pseudonyms, especially if they've read that wizards can use your name against you. "And you want me to find, who, 'Wolverine'? 'Professor X'? I'm afraid Dark Phoenix would be a bit out of my league." Their eyes widened a bit, but I shrugged it off - maybe they didn't expect a gumshoe to be familiar with comic books. "Really, kids, epic cosplay and all, if you aren't going to be up front with me, there's probably not a lot I can do to help you."

OK, my mouth often gets me in trouble, and it's cost me a client or two over the years, even back when I wasn't pulling in a check from the Wardens - the wizard police I got shanghaied into a couple years ago when they were very, very desperate. I expected the pair to walk off in a huff, and me to get back to a towering stack of reports and other paperwork the White Council paper pushers had been asking for. Crap.

Maybe I was in luck - for once. Instead of storming out, the two were whispering to one another, barely audible but nonetheless heated. "Kitty" clearly didn't trust me, "Peter" seemed willing to give me a shot, but his bearing had a sense of desperation. I got the feeling that they weren't jerking my chain here, despite the comic book cover names. They needed help, and I was inclined to give it. And no, not just to avoid the magical Bureaucracy. I figured their hushed conversation might shed some light on the situation. So I Listened in.

Yeah, I have some bad habits.

"- care if he's legit or not, he's not worth it, Piotr."

"Detective Rawlins said he was the best person to help find -"

"How do we know that 'detective' wasn't trying to pull a con? I mean, we look like we're going to a costume party in our uniforms, why would he take us seriously? He's probably playing a prank on this guy..."

"And if he is not? The police will not look for Illyana without evidence of abduction. He will."

"And how long will it take him? Our ATM cards won't work in this - whatever it is, so we only have the stash of money we had hidden in our costumes. Sure, the money looks the same - thank God the timeline doesn't appear to have diverged that much – can you imagine if the South had won the Civil War? Or the British the Revolutionary War?"

Well, that settled it. As intriguing as their conversation was - and the way they stayed in character throughout certainly had piqued my interest - there was no way I was going to take suspicious money. Advertising as a wizard tends to make people a tad suspicious of cash from me, and the last thing I needed was to be tossed into jail for passing counterfeits.

But then, if their story was true, then there was a young woman out there who might need help, and if Rawlins had sent them to me, I might be the only one who could do it.

Yeah, I'm a sucker.

"Listen kids," I said, "You have to understand that I get a lot of cranks coming through here, think its funny to play games with the so-called 'Wizard', especially with those Harry Potter books coming out. My instincts say you aren't here to see if I'm packing a wand and can cast a Disarming spell. If you were, I'm thinking you'd be wearing robes instead of those X-men outfits."

"Kitty" looked at her partner quickly, "Ok, now I need some answers from you - how did you know my name, and what do you know of the X-men?"

Some people get way too into character. "Listen lady, I may come across like a suave, sophisticated man about town, but I've got geek cred. I'm more a Spidey guy, honestly, but I've read an X-book from time to time. And like I said, you and your friend with the muscles really nailed the look."

"Mr. Dresden, I don't know what you're talking about," the big guy - "Colossus" - said, "Are you saying you've read about us... in books?"

"Well, yeah, the comics, anyway." Call me old fashioned, but I never went for that 'graphic novel' business.

They continued to glance at one another. They seemed genuinely surprised. The girl shook her head, "That doesn't make sense - we're not public like Captain America or She-Hulk... they shouldn't have our real names. The professor's lawyers would have a field day with that."

A sneaking suspicion was coming over me that these two weren't what they appeared. My head must have been wrapped in wool - or at least I figured the Nevernever wouldn't have the pop culture knowledge to come disguised as comic book characters - or if they did, and knew me, they'd come as Peter Parker. Or Mary Jane Watson. Va-va-vavoom. Maybe Wolverine, if they wanted to do the X-men thing. It was a nice bit there, as I vaguely remembered that the Marvel comics were printed in universe, under some sort of licensing agreement. I think Captain America was even the artist on his own comic at one point.

Of course, true fae can't say a word that's untrue, and these two had said some pretty outlandish things that seemed to contradict that. I began to wonder if I was acting like the normal folks that went to ridiculous lengths to ignore evidence of the supernatural. I was considering every possibility except that they were telling the truth.

More fool me, right?

"Can you do me a favor?" I asked them. "Can you repeat your name for me?"

The man shrugged. "Peter Rasputin," he said tersely.

"Thrice I ask and done, what is your name?"

"Shto?" he said in Russian, confused.

"I get it - he's checking to see if we're of the fair folk," commented "Kitty", "They aren't supposed to be able to lie when they say something three times." She turned to me. "I read a lot of fantasy growing up."

"I swear to you, I am Peter Rasputin," he said again, "and this really is Kitty Pryde."

Well, shit. This definitely made things more interesting.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

I wasn't completely sold that they were who they said they were, but I've seen too much to dismiss them out of hand. Besides, come on, real life superheroes!

"Let's assume that I believe you and that I'm going to take the case," I said as I pulled out a notepad from my desk. "I really haven't read any X-men in years, so you're going to have to fill me in. The girl you want me to find - Illyana. That's your sister, right?"

"_Da_," the big Russian said. "We arrived here yesterday. We seem to have been... diverted, somehow."

I scribbled down some thoughts as I racked my brain. Illyana... she was the demon sorceress? I'd thought she was dead, but then, I'd heard over at one of Kirby's game nights that Colossus was dead too - or was he back and Kitty was dead? No big deal, in the funny books. It wasn't like my world, where dead meant dead. I thought briefly of my trouble with Cowl and the necromancers a couple years back, and wondered if comic resurrections followed similar mechanics.

The sheer idiocy of the situation struck me. There was, of course, one way to make sure they were who they said they were. "OK, I have to ask... can you really turn to metal? Or walk through walls?"

The one calling herself Kitty responded, "Can you really do magic?"

I grinned, "I'll show you mine if you show me yours."

She chuckled, just a little bit, the first positive reaction I'd gotten from her. She took a pencil from my desk, twirling it a couple times in long, nimble fingers of her right hand. Her left lay flat on the table. The movement was so sudden I wasn't even able to yell, as she drove the pencil down through her left hand until only the top couple inches were visible. My eyes must have bulged a bit, as she gave me a reassuring smile and pulled her left arm back smoothly, sliding through the pencil. She stepped back from the desk, leaving two inches of yellow wood and an eraser sticking up out of what I knew to be a solid desk.

"Your turn," she said.

I had recovered my composure quickly. It usually takes a lot to get me off my game, but I guess real life mutant powers make that list. I glanced at some candles on a file cabinet. "_Flickum bickus_," I intoned casually, as the wicks burst into flame. The two watched, non-plussed but seemingly satisfied with my demonstration. I suppose, assuming this wasn't all a dream or a hoax, they'd dealt with a pyrokinetic or five in their time. I used a light wind spell - "V_entas reductas_" - to blow out the candle. "So, do I get to see Colossus here do his thing?"

He looked around, apparently judging the load-bearing capacity of my office. And then he transformed. It was different from magic transformation. There was no blending; just a burst of light and suddenly where once was a flesh and blood human now stood a seven and a half foot steel golem. "Does this satisfy your curiosity?" he asked, his voice sounding... more resonant? Organic steel vocal cords, probably. I nodded.

He reverted to human form in another flash.

I adopted a blasé, seen-it-all attitude that totally hid the sheer nerdgasm and turned my attention back to the pad. "So, why don't we start from the top? How'd you come to be here in Chicago?"

"I live here," objected Kitty, but she corrected herself, "Well, a half hour north of here, and who knows how many dimensions away. I did go to school here, and things seem to be pretty much the same. I see the Cubs can't win here, either."

I remembered vaguely that Kitty hailed from Deerfield, which was twenty-five miles north of the Windy City. Her and the Bundy's from that show _Married With Children_. I even had a storage unit there, a bolt-hole in case things went to hell.

She continued, "We were going home - that is, back to the mansion - after a run in with some bad guys and their pet mastodon in Kansas City. The thing took up the entire cargo hold of the X-jet, so Peter and I figured we'd catch a ride back with his sister - she's a teleporter." I nodded, amused that for once, I wasn't the one with the more unbelievable story. "She used to have issues with long distances, but she's been better since coming back. I'd mentioned that I was planning to visit my mom, so maybe that diverted her attention, but we appeared in Chicago, near an old meatpacking plant."

"Peter's sister - her teleportation, is that part of her magic?" I asked.

She shook her head, "No - it's her mutant power. It's tied to Limbo though, and we think that was part of what Belasco - this evil sorcerer guy - did to her."

I began to wonder if I would end up in that Gaming/Comic shop that Billy and the Alphas frequented as part of the investigation, just to get the background on my clients. I could see my apprentice Molly rolling her eyes at that one.

"OK," I said, "Since she's your sister, the easiest thing would be a simple tracking spell using your blood. Unless you have some of her hair on you?"

"I'm not so sure about letting you have any of Peter's blood." Kitty said, her voice concerned, even as she checked over her costume for any stray hairs.

"Katya," Peter said, who was doing the same, "I am willing, if it will help find Illyana."

"He's a magic-user, Peter. You know what kind of havoc he could do to you with your blood?"

"Nothing, I expect, significantly more than he could not do without it, with us here in his sight. And if he were to try something, I believe that shifting to my armored form would break the connection."

"Hrm," I said. "I hadn't even considered that. That would probably work, too." I envied him if it would. There were times when an enemy had samples of my own blood or hair where it would've been very convenient to swap them out for a body of organic steel. Ha, organic steel. It was coming back to me – there had been comics where his armor was likened to cold iron and had hurt demonic creatures. Now, wouldn't that infuriate my godmother and any of the other Sidhe I might run into. Having the ability to knock over buildings with my bare hands and not just errant evocations would be a bonus. "But back to the problem at hand, I'm hoping you can just trust me. You sought me out, and if you want me to help you, then I will need something to locate her with."

She looked me over, and then sighed. "OK, let's get it over with."

I nodded. There was an unspoken threat there, and part of me – the reflexive smartass that's gotten me in more trouble than I care to remember – was stifled by the old-fashioned chivalry that's probably responsible for most of the remaining trouble. There was a pain in her eyes, of unimaginable and repeated loss. She'd had most of her loved ones taken from her, and for all those jokes about the revolving door to heaven in comic books, it didn't make that pain any less. I could relate – I'd grieved for Elaine the same way.

I pulled out a small medical kit and took out a small needle, an alcohol wipe and a glass pipette. I handed them to Peter. "The tube should keep the blood from drying out long enough to get a fix on your sister, if she's in the area." And alive, but I didn't say that.

I pulled on my heavy-mantled leather duster as he pricked his thumb, collecting the blood that welled up in the pipette. He handed it over wordlessly, and I tied it to my mother's amulet with a silver thread. "_Segui votro afini_," I intoned softly, feeding energy into the talisman. "_Segui votro afini. Segui votro afini_."

The pipette gave a very light tug, so faint I wasn't sure it wasn't caused by an involuntary muscle twitch. I steadied my breathing, letting my energy flow gently into the blood. I felt the tug again. "The game," I said, "is afoot."

I motioned them to follow, out through my office door and towards the stairs. Five flights later, we emerged, blinking in the brisk Chicago sunshine. I led them to my car.

"You drove here in that thing?" asked Kitty incredulously at her first view of my battered multi-hued VW Bug.

"I'm braver than you thought, huh? The Blue Beetle may not look like much, but she's got it where it counts."

"OK, points for the Star Wars reference, but the Blue Beetle, really?"

"Not an Electric Company fan?" I asked. "No, I guess that's too old for you." Sliding timeline, I thought. Early twenties meant she was born in the 90's. Ouch. I suddenly felt a whole lot older, given that I was reading funny books with the two of them a decade before that. But it wasn't that unusual -anyone who'd been through the Nevernever was familiar with the way time could vary. "Do you guys get the DC Comics in your universe? Superman, Batman, those sort of guys?"

"Sure, why?"

"I was just thinking what it would be like if they show up too."

"That's ridiculous," Kitty said derisively. "Superman's powers just make absolutely no sense."

"Hey Pot. Kettle wants to talk to you about walking through walls," I responded. "Besides, didn't your universes merge during some event at some point?" I'd browsed Kirby's collection from time to time, remembering a DC versus Marvel crossover with fans voting on the outcomes of fights. "And what about Gladiator? Hyperion?"

Peter broke his silence, "I, at least, can attest to the strength of Gladiator."

I nodded. "OK, can one of you drive a stick? I need to keep my attention on the spell."

"You aren't serious. The three of us in that?" Kitty looked at me sharply. "Can't we get a cab or something?"

I gritted my teeth, trying to keep the spell running as I answered, "First, I don't think you're going to find a cab around here that'll pick up three weirdo's looking like us. Second, modern tech tends to go wrong around magic, so the cab might break down en route. And third," I coughed delicately. "I don't have the cash."

"We have some-," Peter said.

"From your universe?" I shook my head, "I appreciate the thought, but for all I know when we find your sister and get you home, all your possessions – including the money may vanish like so much faerie gold. I wouldn't do that to some cabbie just trying to make ends meet, would you?"

"_Nyet_. I see your point," he said. "Katya knows the area far better than I. She can drive. I will do my best in your back seat."

Watching the large man fold himself into the 'Beetle's back seat was quite a sight, as if he were a whole clown troupe by himself. I was sure the car could handle the weight – it had handled my apprentice and my dog on a number of occasions. When he was situated, I crumpled myself into the passenger seat, folded over almost double. I held the chain with the blood between my knees, locking in on any movement.

Kitty got behind the wheel, moving the seat forward to reach the pedals. She brought the 'Beetle to life in a series of mechanical coughs, causing her to look over at me, "'Got it where it counts', huh?"

"Yeah. It's paid for and it runs. Usually. Take a left up here."

I guided her through the city streets based on the subtle vibrations of the little tube of blood.

"Katya, is this not - ?"

"I think so," she said. She turned to me, "Mr. Dresden, this is…"

I shushed her. Rude, I know, but my attention was totally focused right now. The signal should have been stronger, and it bothered me. Unless Illyana had crossed into the Nevernever. After a particularly harrowing incident a year or so back, I'd tweaked my tracking spell a bit, refining it while I was teaching it to Molly. It now not only found out where someone or something was, but part of the path leading to it. "Turn left up here, and then take…"

"The next right," Kitty responded, "We know."

"Yeah, wait – what?"

Kitty made the turns and pulled into a dark alleyway, killing the engine as she did. "It's what we were trying to tell you. This is where we appeared. Is it possible that your spell just found that?"

I looked around. I knew this place. I suddenly remembered her saying that they'd arrived near a meatpacking plant. I unpacked myself out of the car, stretching my legs with a great deal of relief. The tug on my amulet was stronger here, but it led me just where I didn't want it to go. Right down a concrete stairwell leading to a locked and chained door.

The X-men appeared behind me. "What is it?" asked Peter.

"The path leads to a known Way through the Nevernever. It's – like another dimension, which we use to take shortcuts. The spell is working - your sister went through here."

"Well," Kitty said, "Open it up and let's go."

Well, it couldn't hurt to peek, could it? I knew this particular Way fairly well; I used it to get between Chicago and the White Council headquarters in Edinburgh. What troubled me is how unlikely it would be for Illyana to open the Way, which indicated that it was likely that another party was responsible for her disappearance.

I took a breath and gathered energy to myself. "_Aparturum_," I said, slashing the air with my hand. "Follow me."

I strode confidently down the stairs and into the portal I'd just created, only to walk face first into a solid wall of ice.

"Shit!" I exclaimed. My gloved left hand went to my face and came back covered with blood.

"What happened?" asked Kitty.

I pulled out a handkerchief and applied gentle pressure to my nose. "There's a damn glacier blocking the Way," I said.

"What does it mean?"

"I can't be certain, but it looks the Winter Court of the Sidhe may be involved." Which probably meant Mab, the Queen of Air and Darkness, was actively discouraging me from seeking out Illyana.

Crap.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

"So we dig our way through," Peter said. He shifted his shoulders, and with a quick look around to ensure the alley was empty, changed to Colossus. "It may take me a while, but I will get through eventually."

I nodded. Something about it seemed off to me, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. I began to focus the energy to reopen the Way, which had been disrupted when I banged my head into it. "Wait," I muttered, partly to myself, "I need to think this through."

He turned to look at me, eyes narrowed. "Every moment wasted is a moment my sister may be in danger."

"Running blindly into a potential trap won't help her, Mr. Rasputin," I said, "And something about this stinks. We don't know how thick that is, and I can't keep the portal open forever. You'd likely be trapped on the other side."

I ran some ideas through my head as I dabbed my bleeding nose with the handkerchief. "I'm pretty sure your sister is still alive. I'm sure I would have sensed it if they'd killed her, and she was definitely taken into the Nevernever. Plus, it seems like you were brought here deliberately. Now why would she be taken? Either to be used for her own abilities, or to blackmail one of you two for yours is my guess."

I thought about it - a teleporter in the hands of the Red Court of the Vampires could be devastating. Kitty's phasing power might have some uses too. Colossus would be effective against the fae, but I couldn't see either Summer or Winter using cold iron as a weapon against the other.

Then there was another fear. This Way was my path to the White Council headquarters. If a wizard had taken Illyana, whether for her power or for her access to magics unknown.

"Are you all right, Mr. Dresden?" asked Kitty. "That was a nasty hit."

"Fine. I'm fine. This is actually pretty good for me on a case. I think I need to make some calls," I said. When they both started to object, I continued, "You told me you got here yesterday, so they could be anywhere, here or in the Nevernever. We'd be better off playing this smarter than chasing willy nilly all over the place."

Kitty considered my words, and then turned to her companion and laid a hand gently on his arm, "He's right, Peter."

"_Da,_ I know," he said, "It is just that I do not wish to lose her again." With a flash, he changed back to human form, the slump in his shoulders showing his feeling of helplessness far better than words. "What is our next step?" he asked, his eyes pleading.

"Back to the car. I'll take you to my place, maybe find you both a change of clothes so we can move a bit less conspicuously."

I drove. Kitty fit more easily in the back, and Peter sat, bent over and restless, in the passenger seat. We pulled into the driveway to the old wooden boardinghouse where I live.

I led them down the steps to my front door, unlocking it and giving it a solid shoulder check to get it open. One of these days I would get around to getting it framed right. Probably after the next baddie in my life breaks it down.

"Pardon the mess," I said, reflexively.

"Mess?" Kitty asked, as she entered. "This is the cleanest bachelor pad I've ever seen."

I looked around, and saw what she said was true, which meant my brownie housekeeping crew had come through. If you can do them a favor, and remember to keep your mouth shut about them, I highly recommend their services. "Just a little joke, Ms. Pryde," I said.

The padding of feet announced that my pet Dogasaurus, Mouse, was awake. He came over to give a sniff to my guests. No growl, which was a positive sign. I was mostly convinced the pair was legit, but a little skepticism never hurt. I'd learned to trust Mouse's instincts over the years.

"He is a Caucasian, yes?" Peter asked after passing Mouse's examination. "And a very easy tempered one, it seems."

I spared them my standard joke, and headed into my small bedroom to fetch some clothes for Colossus.

Mouse approved of them, and they'd walked in across my threshold unhindered without an express invitation. More evidence that they were who they said they were. I grabbed a pair of old sweatpants, and a sweatshirt declaring the wearer to be a member of the Miskatonic University athletic department. I'd have to get something for Kitty from Molly's stash down in the lab, for when her lessons rendered a given outfit unwearable.

I walked back into the main living area and tossed the sweats to Peter, "Try these - they should fit."

"_Spaciba_," he replied, pulling the sweats on over his costume.

"They aren't made of unstable molecules, so if you have to transform, maybe you can get the sweatshirt off first? It was a gift." Butters had given it to me on my last birthday. "I mean, don't get killed over it or anything, but, you know."

"Da, I will try," he said.

I started to pull up the carpet covering the trapdoor to my lab. "Just so you know, my apprentice has had an ... interesting wardrobe in the past. I'm not entirely sure what's down there." In truth, the Grasshopper had toned down a lot from the Frankenhooker outfits she favored back when I rescued her from the heart of Winter, but I had no idea what I would be able to scrounge that might work for the nearly half foot shorter Kitty Pryde.

"You know, Mr. Dresden, I think I can work with the Cubs jacket," Kitty said. She then cocked her head slightly, and I saw her weight shift subtly. Peter noted this, and drifted back a few steps, out of the sight line to my front door, where the sound of a key in the lock noted my young padawan's arrival. The door thudded once, and then again as my apprentice opened it. I then realized that the sound of her footsteps on the gravel must have alerted the X-men, whereas I must have heard the same sounds subconsciously as non-threatening, and I figured Mouse, who was looking up at the door with a big doggy grin, had done the same. I suppose paranoia isn't limited to wizards – for every invisible demon trying to eat my face, they probably had a crazed supervillian or anti-mutant mob.

My apprentice, Molly Carpenter, burst in, her agitation radiating off her. "Heya, Boss. You would not believe the day I've had. The Jawas were in my room again, can you believe it? Are you sure I can't put a ward on my door, just a little one. At least one on my diary-can you believe Amanda... Oh, you have visitors." she said, finally noticing Kitty. "Boss, is everything OK?"

"Fine, Molly. These are my clients, Katherine and Peter." I used Kitty's full name on purpose. I figured that at best she might have seen the movies, and these two weren't exactly the stars of those. "I'm helping them on a missing persons deal."

"What can I do to help?" she responded immediately.

I started to say that I could handle it, but then reconsidered. "Not sure right now. If something comes up, I'll let you know. Right now I have to make a call."

I picked up the phone and moved over to my bedroom, pulling the cord along with me. I wasn't terribly worried about my clients trying to steal White Council passwords, but I had to put on a show for my apprentice. "Maybe you could take Mouse out?" I called to her as I shut my door behind me.

It took a couple tries, but I finally got through, gave the pass codes and was put in touch with a fellow warden.

"This is Morgan," snarled the voice, the disdain clear over the static on the line.

"Why hello, Morgan, so very pleasant to speak with you today," I said.

"What do you want, Warden?" he spat out that last word, as if it had an unpleasant taste, and, I supposed, it certainly did.

"Just calling to report a disturbance in the Way from Edinburgh to Chicago," I said, trying to keep my voice neutral. "There's a wall of ice of indeterminate thickness blocking it on my end." Then my mouth added, "Did you run into Mab and dazzle her with your scintillating personality?"

"You are the one who has acted as her Emissary, Dresden," he reminded me. And refused a long-term job offer, too, but he didn't need to know that. "If you've managed to jeopardize our free passage through Faerie with your immaturity, I will personally-"

"The passage that I won for us?" I said. "I haven't done anything, Morgan, so lay off. It happens that someone was abducted through the Way before it was closed. I've been hired to find her."

"And you want us to do your job, Dresden? Remember, you work for us, not the other way around."

Yeah, I remembered getting dragooned into the Cloak a couple years before. "Listen, Morgan, is Wizard McCoy or Wizard Rashid available? I need to ask them..."

"What you need, Warden Dresden, is to remember your place. You aren't some Brown Robe to come running to your master over some minor issue. You are a Warden of the White Council. I suggest you act the part, and not bother the Senior Council with trivialities. Particularly," he snarled, "when they have more important duties, attending to the war you started."

There was truth to the statement – I had started the war, but a very wise man, one who'd died for me, had pointed out that it was inevitable. Something occurred to me, and my mouth said it before I could stop myself, "Morgan, whoever is responsible for the blockage has likely broken the Seventh Law too."

"What?" he said, shocked.

"My sentiments exactly," I said, "So you'll pass this along to Captain Luccio?"

"I will, Warden," he growled, but there was worry in his voice, "And the Gatekeeper, as well." Seventh Law violations were not taken lightly.

"Gee thanks, Warden Morgan, and a pleasure chatting with you." I hung up on him and frowned. I wasn't sure why I brought up the Seventh Law – "Thou shalt not seek beyond the Outer Gates" – but at the time, it seemed to me to be necessary to bring someone from entire other universe.

I carried the phone back into my living area, just as Molly was bringing my dog in. She took one look at my face and said, "Warden Javert again,"

It wasn't a question. I grunted in assent. Both of us had that in common, with the Commander of the Wardens ready to strike off our heads should we step outside the Laws of Magic. I was actually on my second tour under the so-called Doom of Damocles; I wondered if I was the first to bear that particular distinction. "Had to report something to the Council, just my luck he picks up, I guess."

"The big jerk probably has standing orders that your calls get routed to him if he's around," Molly said.

I shrugged, "Something's made you overly cynical, Grasshopper."

"I learned from the best, boss."

I'd hoped to get some information from Edinburgh, but it looked like I was going to be left to my own devices. Again. Fortunately, my devices can be pretty astounding at times. I grabbed the phone again and dialed the local Pizza 'Spress.

"This is no time to be thinking with your stomach, Mr. Dresden," Peter objected, anger creeping into his voice.

"Harry knows what he's doing," Molly told him, coming to my defense.

I held up a finger as I ordered a couple pies for delivery. After I hung up, I said, "Trust me - it isn't what it looks like."

"What, can you tell the future in the pizza toppings?" Kitty said, sarcastically. "Or use the grease as a scrying device?"

"Not exactly. Do you have a picture of your sister, Mr. Ra- er, Peter?" I asked.

"Da, of course," he answered, reaching inside the sweatpants before frowning. "I am sorry, Mr. Dresden, I do not have my wallet. However, if you have some paper and a pencil?"

"I'll get them," said Molly, darting down the ladder to the lab, returning moments later. The kid probably knows the layout better than I do.

Peter took the items with a word of thanks, then quickly began to draw a picture of his sister, a full body drawing of her in what I guessed was her costume, along with a closeup of her face. It was really quite good, and I felt a pang of jealousy. "Thanks," I said, then went to the door to await my order.

It took twenty minutes for the pizza to be delivered. I paid the driver with a couple bills from my own wallet and took the pies to the secluded area in back where Mouse generally did his business. I softly whispered a name, infusing my words with a little of my power. It didn't take long for Toot-toot to appear. The dewdrop fairy, as delicate as any of his kind with his lavender hair and iridescent wings, flitted up to me. I thought back on how he'd grown, now twice the six-inch height he'd had when I first learned his Name those many years ago.

"How may I be of service, my liege?" he asked in his tiny, piping voice.

"Hiya Toot," I responded. "I need the Guard to find someone for me. Or at least, find some information for me." I pulled out the drawing. "Can you ask around to see if anyone knows what happened to this girl?"

"Yes, Za Lord, I can certainly ask a round. Do I count as a round?"

I blinked, "Are you saying that you've seen her?"

"Oh, certainly, Harry! She went off with the Summer Knight. And then Winter blocked the closest mortal Way."

"What?" I choked.

"I said that she went off with the Summer Knight," he repeated, dutifully.

"No, I heard you, Toot, I just don't understand why. Winter and Summer just don't work together like that." Which wasn't entirely true. After all, Winter Knight Lloyd Slate, was in cahoots with the Summer Lady Aurora a few years back, and Maeve had conspired with Aurora's replacement, Lily, when we'd rescued Molly from Arctis Tor. So, not impossible, but still damned suspicious. I addressed the fairy, "So why would work together now?"

"What a silly question. When all of Faerie is threatened, the Queens will stand together to defend it, of course," he said, in his isn't-it-obvious-tone. "All the Wyldfae too."

"Are you telling me the girl threatens the Nevernever?" I asked increduously.

"Well, I just did, didn't I? Can I have my pizza now?" He started at the steaming cardboard boxes greedily.

"A couple more questions, Toot," I said.

"Fine, fine. Just make it quick! Cold pizza isn't as good as hot, Harry."

I took a breath, then asked, "What has the girl done?"

"She hasn't done anything. She could do something, though. She has a magic sword everyone was told not to touch. And it isn't even iron or anything."

"Have they harmed her?" I had a sick though of an enraged Colossus taking vengeance on the Sidhe.

"Of course not, Harry, she's their guest." He said it as if were the most obvious thing in the world. "Can I eat now?" he asked, plaintively.

"Oh, yes, go ahead. Don't forget to save some for the rest of the Guard, though."

"Sure, sure," he said, "but I answered your questions so one of the pizzas is mine and mine alone."

"Knock yourself out, Toot," I said, opening the lids for him.

"Why would I want to do that, Harry? I couldn't eat pizza then!"

I shook my head and walked back to my apartment. Peter and Kitty looked up at me. "I've got good news and bad news," I said.

"What is the bad news?" Peter said as he stood up from the couch, fists clenched.

"Well, it's all tied together. Your sister is alive and unharmed, having been taken by one of the Knights of the Sidhe." Molly, who was up in my little kitchen area making herself a sandwich, dropped her knife and turned white. "My source described her as a guest, which means she will be kept safe, and that she went off with the Summer Knight, which implies some measure of consent. But," I paused, trying to figure out how to say it, "she's being held by the High Sidhe, apparently by command of both Winter and Summer Queens, and that she is a potential threat to all of Faerie."

"What does that mean?" Kitty asked.

"It means," I said as I picked up the phone to call Fix, the Summer Knight, "that we need to talk this out over a beer."


	4. Chapter 4

Molly had argued, of course, but there was no way we were fitting another body in the Beetle. Before we'd set off, though, she surprised me again by being more on the ball than I expected. She spoke to me quietly, as the pair managed to pile into the car. "OK, boss," she'd said, "where did you pick up a couple X-men cosplayers. Only, there's no con going on right now, and you wouldn't be acting so circumspect if it were just a couple kids in costumes. Oh my god, they're real, aren't they? How can they be real?"

I tried to calm her down, "Not so loud, Molly. Sheesh, we don't want to go spreading that around. And yes, near as I can tell, they're the real McCoys. Out of curiousity, how'd you know?"

"C'mon, Harry, Buffy was my favorite show for a while there, and Joss Whedon based her on little Miss Pryde there. Of course I know who she is."

"Of course," I said, somewhat amused. "Just keep the fangirling to a minimum, OK?"

"Aye aye, Professor D," she said with a mock salute.

"Tell you what, Grasshopper, just for that, can you give Kirby a call, see if he has any recent X-men issues, particularly anything involving Peter's sister, Illyana? Maybe we can get filled in on the back-story and see why Fix would be after her." I left her with that task and took off - well, coughed and sputtered along anyway - on the way to Mac's.

It didn't take long to get to the bar. It's an honest-to-god authentic pub, set down a flight of stairs, kind of like _Cheers_, but here you really hoped nobody knew your Name for fear of what they might do with it. I pulled into the parking lot.

"MacAnally's," Kitty said, reading the sign. "I haven't heard of this one."

"Do a lot of bar hopping, Ms. Pryde?" I asked.

"Not a whole lot," she admitted, "but I did work at the Bells of Hell when I was attending the U of C."

Bells of Hell. Hell's Bells. I wondered if we had a version of that place in my Chicago. "I must have missed those issues," I muttered as I parked the Beetle next to a couple SUV's, the sort that made it a total pain in the ass to try and pull out. It was pretty full for this early in the afternoon, which wasn't a good sign.

"Popular place?" asked Kitty.

"Best beer in town," I said, "but usually not this busy this early."

I frowned. It meant that the minor talents, the ones beneath the notice of the almighty White Council, were congregating for whatever protection they could get from Mac's Accorded Neutral Territory status. I explained, "Mac's in the know, about magic and the like. The local crowd tends to gather here when things get dangerous on the spooky side. It's got some protections for them. It might not be due to your sister, Mr. Rasputin."

"But it likely is," Kitty said from the backseat, as if speaking for her stone-faced companion seated next to me.

"Yeah, well, don't flatter yourselves. A lot of my cases seem to bring 'em flocking to Mac's." Now that I came to think about it, I wondered if I should ask him for a commission. I spoke seriously, "Don't start anything in there. It's neutral territory. I called the guy my informant said Illyana went off with, and he said he'd show. I trust him, and he's played things pretty straight with me in the past. But he's beholden to the Summer Queens, so he may be limited in what he can say."

"What, he's under some sort of geis?"

"Something like that," I said, recalling the time I'd had to offer a favor owed to Charity Carpenter to circumvent Titania's order not to assist me.

"So... Faerie Queens, huh?" she asked.

"Queens of the Sidhe," I responded, emphasizing the last word. Who says I haven't learned any tact? "I would advise against calling them faeries. They tend to find it insulting. "

"Gotcha," Kitty said. "So... Queens of the Sidhe, huh?"

"Yeah, three each for the Summer and Winter Courts. Lily, Titania, and Mother Summer for the one, Maeve, Mab and Mother Winter for the other."

"Whoa, like Shakespeare and Spenser?"

"Much, much scarier than that." A glance at the rearview mirror showed her face pensive at that thought.

"What about Oberon?"

"Didn't make it," I said. "Came between Mab and Titania, apparently. You do not want to piss them off."

Peter, who had been silent for pretty much the entire trip, spoke, "I think that they should care not to piss me off. But I will not start anything. I just want my sister returned."

Kitty reached forward and gave his shoulder a slight squeeze of reassurance. "We'll get her back, don't worry."

I wanted to reassure them, but couldn't find it in myself the heart to lie to them. We weren't in the comics. The bad guys could win here. Were winning, in a lot of ways. "All right, kids, I said, let's get going. We don't want to be late."

We walked down the steps. I nodded towards the low hung ceiling fans; Peter returned the gesture as a sign of acknowledgement. In the center of the room, Fix sat alone at a table. Despite the crowd, everyone was giving the Summer Knight a wide berth, leaving the two tables nearest to him unoccupied. Weaving around the intricately carved columns, meant to diffuse and ground magical energy, I grabbed a couple of extra chairs, and placed them at his table. "Heya Fix," I said, "What's the good word?"

"Harry," he said quietly. His eyes remained fixed on his drink, but he didn't appear to have drunk anything yet.

"Fix, may I introduce-?"

"I know who they are," he answered,

"Ooookay," I said, elongating the first syllable dramatically. "Let me get something for our guests, and I'll be right back." I made my way to the bar, the crowd parting for me as I walked. Being a Warden of the White Council has some uses, I guess. I put down a twenty, and Mac gave me three dark bottles of his ale in return, along with my change. I returned to the table to find everything the same - Kitty and Peter still standing stiffly, and Fix still staring at his drink.

"Don't tell me I've got to be the adult here," I said. "I don't think I've got it in me. How's Lily, Fix? I'm surprised she isn't here."

"I'm not here as Lily's Knight, Dresden. In this matter, I'm Titania's," said Fix, "And while friendship may have brought me here, there's nothing I can do for you."

"Nothing you can do, or nothing you will do," I asked. "C'mon Fix, throw me a bone here. They just want her back and to go home."

"The girl will be returned to them in two days, if she wishes. No sooner."

"Unacceptable," Peter said, his voice a low growl. "Return her now."

"Mr. Rasputin. Peter. Please," I said. "Have a seat, have a drink, and let me talk to him." But I could sympathize. If it were my brother Thomas, I'd probably shoved my blasting rod up the Summer Knight's nostril. Why two days? I'd lost track of the calendar again. It was March... 19th? It had been an odd month. A week ago, it had been below freezing; two days ago it had hit a high in the mid seventies. But that was Spring in the midwest for you. "Oh shit," I said aloud, "That's why the conversation with Morgan felt like a rerun of last time. "It's the damn vernal equinox, isn't it? Something about the balance between the courts."

Fix looked at me sharply, then dropped his eyes. "Something like that."

"And somehow Illyana represents a threat to both courts?" I asked.

"Her and her brother," he said, "but he wouldn't be a good guest in the Nevernever. So Mab and Titania agreed that we would take the girl off the table until the threat has passed."

"And then she'll be released?" Kitty asked.

"If she wishes," he repeated.

"What does that mean?" I asked.

"Summer finds her... attractive," he said, "Winter too, for that matter."

"I suppose she's pretty enough," I said, "but among the fae? They make supermodels look plain."

"No, Harry, I mean…"

Kitty interrupted, "He means that she has abilities that they want to exploit."

"I don't like it," said Fix, "but my opinion doesn't count. On our way back to the Summer Court, we were jumped by some Reds- a full vampire and a couple of their half-turned foot soldiers. She pulls this sword out of nowhere, slices the first two guys in one stroke. I got the other flunky and the vampire bolted. This glowing circle appears in front of him, and suddenly he's back in front of us. She stabs him, and the guys flesh mask just vanishes. Poof. He stands there, gaping at her, and I blast him, and go to check the first three."

He paused, then, as if finally noticing it was there, took a long drink of beer. "One of them was dead. aged to death, and the others started swearing at her. Cursing her for taking away their gifts, for robbing them of their chance at immortality. Harry, they were human."

Kitty nodded with understanding, "Her Soulsword. It destroys enchantments."

I sat there blinking. Destroys enchantments. Turns half-vampires human. Susan.

Susan Rodriguez and I had dated several years ago. One of my enemies had turned her to get revenge on me. I had loved her. Hell, I'd proposed to her.

It had been years since, and even though we'd moved on and now I was dating the Commander of the Wardens, Anastasia Luccio, I had never given up the idea of somehow curing her, of undoing the curse that my failure had brought upon her. And now this. A chance to free her. I'd looked everywhere for even a hint of something like this, and the closest I found was a working by Mother Winter, one of the most powerful beings I'd ever encountered. And Illyana accomplished it with one snicker-snack of her Soulsword. And if it worked on Red Court, could it kill Thomas's White Court demon too, free him from his curse?

It was an easy trap to fall into. I found myself thinking of using her the same as the Sidhe Queens, and the idea sickened me.

"So she has power," I said, trying to focus on the matter at hand. "If either Queen were to acquire it, the other would have to move to maintain balance. What's that lead to - a superhero arms race? Your Queen gets Illyana, Mab goes out and grabs Dr. Strange, so Summer grabs, who, the wizard Shazam from DC? Then what? Rand al'Thor? Gandalf? I don't think the mortal world or Faerie can take that sort of interdimensional threat."

Fix took another drink. "I hear you, Harry, but what can I do?"

"Do you know how they plan to convince her to stay?" I asked.

"Same way as usual, I expect. Trick her into a compact to try to compel her," he admitted.

I held up a hand to overrule the X-men's objection, "OK, that figures. Well, Fix, since you got her into this mess, you can make sure she has some mortal food, and inform her about what they're trying to do to her. And let her know that her brother and friend miss her."

He considered my proposal. "Yeah, I think I can do that. In return, maybe you can figure out what's causing Summer and Winter to work together. They wouldn't even do that when the Reds invaded their lands. Titania isn't telling Lily anything."

"I'll see what I can do. My case load's not too bad right now." Something tickled my brain. Something from before my life turned into a comic book. "If nothing else, I imagine the Council will want me to investigate as well."

Fix nodded. He turned to Peter and Kitty, "Listen, I'm really sorry about all of this. I wish I could do more."

Peter looked at him coldly, "So do I."

Kitty looked at the two of them and forced a smile on her face, "So, Mr. Dresden, how're are the Cubs looking this year. Do you think they can get past the Divisional Series this year?"

Her attempt to change the subject threw me. "Um," I said, "I'm not sure." Last summer I'd learned that the the Billy Goat curse was real, in response to an insult to Gwynn ap Nudd, King of the Tylwyth Teg, and I didn't want to involve any more faeries to our current troubles. "Hopefully."

She smiled a bit. Hope, in spite of everything, albeit with a healthy dose of skepticism and resignation, was the hallmark of any Cubs fan. I guess she could see it in me; the team and I had a lot in common.

"How're the Bulls and 'Hawks doing these year?"

The 'Hawks. Crap, the Blackhawks. The game tonight, the meeting Elaine set up for me. "OK, I'm an idiot," I said. "I have an appointment with a client tonight. I'm going to need to find you a place for you guys."

"We can go back to the hotel," she said, and from the look in her eye, I knew that despite the agreement I just made with Fix, they'd be out, scouring the town the moment I left them.

I could maybe take the two back to my apartment, have Molly babysit them while I took care of business. As always when regarding an incident of leaving the Grasshopper unsupervised, I began calculating what trouble or temptations she'd be under. It was unlikely she'd try psychomancy on them. She might try to show off, but I figured the worst she might do is try to trick Peter the same way she'd done to Sanya years ago.

Come to think of it, I could see some similarities to the agnostic Knight of the Cross and the comic version of Colossus. Maybe the real thing was a bit grumpier, but his situation was enough to forgive him that.

Then again, they might prevail on her to help them. So, no, not Molly. I glanced at the clock, and tried to remember what schedule Murph was on this week. If I remembered right, she'd be done with her shift, and over at Dough Joe's, working off her aggression by beating up on men a foot taller and ten year younger and attitudes that me seem progressive.

Kitty was finally drinking her beer. She regarded the bottle with an expression of pleased surprise. "Wow, I wish Kurt were here. He would really appreciate this. I wonder if we can take a case back with us."

"Star and stones," I said, "Don't even joke. The Wardens would come down on a cross-dimensional import/export like a ton of unreasonable, very grumpy wizards. Now finish your drinks, we're going to the gym."


End file.
